DeLAND, Fla. - The Stetson University baseball team returned to Melching Field at Conrad Park on Monday, Feb. 19, for a double-header against the West Virginia Mountaineers, following Sunday's postponement due to inclement weather. In a dramatic series, the Hatters clinched a 5-4 victory in the first game with a walk-off double off the right-field wall by Jayden Hylton, marking their second walk-off win of the series.
However, they dropped the second game of the afternoon, falling 7-5. Hylton, who homered on opening night, delivered in the clutch just two days after Lorenzo Meola's walk-off home run on Saturday.

"A lot of positives all weekend long. You know you're playing a very good ballclub over there that's uber aggressive, they don't strikeout a lot so that means you have to keep the ball in the zone. I liked our fight, I liked our competitiveness, I liked our at-bats, so there are a lot of positives the way we fought all weekend," said Head Coach Steve Trimper. "But we need to improve the tikey-tak errors. Baseball has errors but what can't happen is pickoffs being thrown away or dropped balls in the air or first and third and an easy throw to the play, those are the ones that have to be eliminated."

In the first game, the Hatters surged ahead early, scoring two runs in the first inning after Lorenzo Meola's leadoff single was followed by consecutive walks from Isaiah Barkett and Jayden Hylton. Gio Cueto then drove in Meola with a single to right field, and Mike Handal extended the lead with a sacrifice fly. Meola continued his impact in the second inning, bringing home Yohann Dessureault with an RBI groundout after Dessureault's leadoff double.

After four scoreless innings from starting pitcher Daniel Paret, the Mountaineers broke through in the fifth with a leadoff home run. West Virginia seized the lead in the sixth following an error that allowed a run to score. A single brought in another run, followed by a double steal, propelling the Mountaineers ahead.

However, the Hatters swiftly responded. Evan Griffis and Dessureault connected with back-to-back doubles, tying the game at four apiece. Cole Stallings and Anthony DeFabbia combined in relief to maintain the deadlock, with Stallings striking out two batters and picking off a runner in the seventh.

Despite an early pickoff in the bottom of the ninth, Meola drew a walk, and Barkett advanced him to second with a single to right-center. With two outs, Hylton's deep shot to right field off the wall secured an RBI double, clinching a 5-4 win for Stetson.

Paret pitched 6.0 innings in the first game, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out two. DeFabbia earned the win with two scoreless innings.

The second game saw the Mountaineers taking an early lead after a pair of walks led to a run on an error. A hit batter loaded the bases, and a sacrifice fly extended West Virginia's lead to 2-0.

Dessureault, who doubled twice in the first game, leveled the score with a two-out, two-run home run down the right-field line, bringing in Brandon Hylton, who reached on a single. However, the Mountaineers surged ahead again with a leadoff home run in the following inning, followed by an RBI single to extend their lead to 4-2.

After West Virginia added another run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh, the Hatters staged a comeback. In the bottom of the eighth, Kyle Jones and Meola reached base, with Jones hit by a pitch and Meola walking. Landon Moran drew a walk to load the bases, and Jayden Hylton plated a run with an RBI groundout. Cueto then laced a tying two-out single to left field, driving in two runs as he now leads the team with five RBIs to start the year.

In the top of the ninth, a series of bunts propelled the Mountaineers ahead after a leadoff walk. The Hatters ultimately fell 7-5 in the second game, resulting in a 2-2 split in the series to start their season.

Six pitchers took the mound for Stetson in the game, including Zane Coppersmith, who pitched 1.1 innings in relief without allowing a hit and striking out three of the four batters he faced.

Three out of the four games of the series were won in the 9th inning or later, a testament to the Hatters' grit and grind mentality. "I think there's a lot of fight on this team. It has a chance to be a very good offensive club which means you want your defense and your pitching to just keep you in the game," said Trimper. "Just keep it within three, we have some very good athletic legs, you got guys that can run, got guys that have power so when you have eight and nine hitters that can hit home runs or extra base hits that can possibly be an elite offense."

Stetson, now 2-2 to begin the year, will return to action this weekend for a round robin tournament featuring Maine, Army and Fordham. They will begin with the Maine Black Bears at Melching Field on Feb 23 (Fri) with first pitch slated for 6:30 PM.

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS.

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